Description: This vintage definitive postage and revenue stamp from the Union of South Africa features the distinctive head and sweeping horns of a black wildebeest (Connochaetes gnou). Rendered in a deep reddish-brown ink against a soft pinkish background, the animal's untamed features are captured through meticulous stippling and line shading. Reflecting the nation's historical bilingual mandate, the country's name is split across the design, appearing as "Suid-Afrika" along the top border and "South Africa" along the bottom. The functional operational text is nestled into the central field, reading "Inkomste" on the left and "Posgeld • Postage" near the base. The face value is a pre-decimal denomination of 1d (One Penny), rendered in a stylized block font in the lower-left corner. Three heavy, parallel black hand stamped cancellation lines run horizontally across the face, marking its commercial postal duty.
Circa: 1954
Condition: Used - Hinged
Notes:
This stamp was designed by the artist H. Kumst and printed via photogravure by the Government Printing Works in Pretoria on paper featuring the "Springbok's Head Multiple" watermark. Because it served a dual purpose for both standard mail delivery and fiscal tax receipts (indicated by the Afrikaans text Inkomste), massive quantities were generated, making it one of the most ubiquitous stamps of the 1950s South African postal system.